Drag racing, born in Southern California, opens its 62nd NHRA season Friday with the Circle K Winternationals at Auto Club Raceway at Fairplex.

It promises to be yet another Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season, 24 national events in all four corners of the country, that will produce surprises, upsets, confrontations and continuous story lines. On the evening of Nov. 15, following the conclusion of the Auto Club Finals, it will all end.

The 2014 campaign finished on a historic note last November in Pomona. Long known for its diversity, NHRA crowned its first female Pro Stock champion when Erica Enders-Stevens defeated Jason Line for the title on the final run of the season.

Enders-Stevens, who started out in NHRA’s Jr. Dragster program, was the lone new champion in 2014. Tony Schumacher won his eighth title in Top Fuel dragster; Matt Hagan put away his second Funny Car crown and Andrew Hines added a fourth Pro Stock Motorcycle championship to his resume.

“It’s crazy and hard to boil it into words to have it come to the final race and final round of the year with everything on the line against one of the baddest guys in the class,” Enders-Stevens said of her historic effort. “We were able to get it done and I give God all the glory.

“Teamwork makes the dream work. I believe that in the bottom of my heart. I’ve got such a solid group of guys. I was just a little kid with a big dream.”

However, that was last season. During the brief offseason, there have already been surprises that will impact the new season.

Perhaps the biggest news was 16-time Funny Car champion John Force announcing a multi-year deal with Chevrolet. It had been a mystery for more than a year has to what manufacturer Force would land after his long-term association with Ford ended following the 2014 season.

Another stunner was the late December news that Al-Anabi Racing funding was being terminated. With Alan Johnson calling the shots, the team won three of the last five titles with Larry Dixon, Del Worsham and Shawn Langdon.

In fact, 2014 Top Fuel winner Khalid alBalooshi will not compete this week as he lost his ride when Johnson cut back to one entry.

John Force and Line are also defending winners.

Veteran Bob Vandergriff will also not be on track, having retired after 2014. However, he has put together a team for the new season with Dixon and Dave Connolly as his drivers, Dixon has driven part-tie the last few seasons while Connolly is making the transition from Pro Stock to Top Fuel.

Lou Brewster is a nationally recognized motorsports journalist who has staffed NASCAR and NHRA events since 1969. Has also staffed high school football, in five different states, since 1967. Has won several national awards in writing and breaking news.